A Different Halloween Night
by Nightcrawlerlover
Summary: Alternate take on All the Way from Season 6. Dawn and Janice go to the park. Someone Dawn has heard about meets them there... and that is only the beginning...
1. The Beginning

**Hey there! Here's a new Yu-Gi-Oh/Buffy crossover story I thought up while watching the Season 6 BtVS Halloween episode All the Way. It sure is a cool episode, and I like the interaction between Dawn and Janice the best. Plus I also read this really cool oneshot called **Rhythm** by **redwolfoz**. It's a great read, and it had to do with Dawn's school friends' reactions to meeting or seeing Spike's presence, whether up close or from afar, and Dawn's replies to their reactions.**** Janice and Dawn are at The Bronze, and Janice dumps Dawn to go dance with a college boy. Then Spike finds Dawn there, and dances with her, and in the process, makes Janice jealous and intrigued. **

**So while reading that oneshot, I got to thinking, "What if Zack and Justin were out somewhere else on Halloween that night when Janice and Dawn went to the park? What if they met someone else there – someone like Yami Bakura?" And, like magic, this story popped into my head. **

**Disclaimer: Genius Joss Whedon owns Buffy, and Kazuki Takahashi (also a genius) owns Yu-Gi-Oh. I own the fanfics I cook up from time to time.**

* * *

A Different Halloween Night

_Wait a second  
She's hopped up on me  
I've got her in my zone  
Her body's pressed up on me  
I think she's ready to blow  
Must be my future sex love sound  
And when it goes down  
Baby all you gotta do is..._

_Just tell me which way you like that._  
_All you gotta do is_  
_Tell me which way you like that_  
_Do you like it like that?_  
_Tell me which way you like that_  
_Tell me which way you like that_

_-_Justin Timberlake, **Futuresex Lovesound**

It was Halloween night in Sunnydale, California. 15-year-old Dawn Summers walked down the bustling residential street, busy with parents and costumed kids walking around, yelling and laughing. She continued to walk until she was near downtown Sunnydale. Then she looked behind her cautiously, before finally deciding on taking a shortcut down a dark alley. In the distance, police sirens blared. Dawn jumped, startled, upon hearing a banging noise. She then continued walking down the path she had chosen. Then it came to her that maybe walking down a dark alley in Sunnydale wasn't really a good idea.

After all, one never knew what could happen in Sunnydale on Halloween night, or any other night. She knew that for certain. After all, she had seen Buffy go out on patrol and kill a few vampires just a few weeks ago. Tonight, however, was Halloween. Usually on Halloween, vampires and other things that roamed the night took a vacation. Dawn would often wonder why they always did that – roam the night for 364 days a year, and then take a rest on Halloween. Now she knew the answer – according to Giles, Buffy's Watcher, "Creatures of the night shy away from Halloween. They find it all much too crass".

"Hello?" she called out after a few minutes.

_Oh, great. I am acting like one of those stupid girls in horror movies, _she scolded herself as she looked around. She picked up a piece of wood, holding it like a club. She could still hear some noise. It was coming from a nearby stack of boxes, but she didn't know exactly what it was. Nevertheless, she decided to find out anyway. So Dawn walked up to the box's opening... and saw two people kissing.

"Hey!" the guy said, outraged at the interruption.

"Oh!" Dawn knew her face was beet red at this point.

"Perv," the girl said, feeling quite snappish.

"Sorry. I thought – hey, wait. **I'm** the perv, while _you two_ are _making out_, and in _**an alley **_of all places, too," Dawn snapped while putting a hand on her hip, angered (while at the same time hoping **that** knocked some sense into the guy and girl).

* * *

**Sorry it's kind of short, but I prefer quality instead of quantity. That's how I usually am. **

**R&R, please! Nice reviews spur me to write more. :)**

**~Nightcrawlerlover**


	2. Plans

**Previously...**

"_Sorry. I thought – hey, wait. **I'm** the perv, while you two are making out, and in **an alley **of all places, too," Dawn snapped while putting a hand on her hip, angered (while at the same time hoping **that** knocked some sense into the guy and girl)._

She then backed away, bumping into someone behind her. She turned around with a gasp of fear, and then smiled in relief as she realized it was her best friend, Janice Penshaw.

Janice had dark brown eyes that seemed to sparkle with mischief, and her hair was a rich chocolate brown with light ruby highlights. She was a great friend to Dawn. Often they would hang out together at Janice's house, because Janice loved having Dawn there.

"Hey, Summers. Did you get over the wall okay?" Janice smirked.

"Yeah. My sister thinks I'm staying at your house," Dawn replied as she put her makeshift club down.

"Ahh. The Mominator thinks _I'm_ staying at _yours_." Janice then laughed. "Can't believe they fell for that one. Like, own a TV?"

Both she and Dawn then laughed.

"So where're we meeting?" Dawn asked a bit excitedly.

"The park. That's where all the monsters gather on Halloween," Janice replied in her best fake spooky voice. The two girls grinned at each other, and then headed off.


	3. Running into a Familiar Face

**Previously...**

_"So where're we meeting?" Dawn asked a bit excitedly._

_"The park. That's where all the monsters gather on Halloween," Janice replied in her best fake spooky voice. The two girls grinned at each other, and then headed off._

Soon they came to Sunnydale Park, which happened to be empty. An owl took the opportunity to fill the night air with its hooting music, and also caused Dawn to shiver all over, both with fear and excitement. She knew this was going to be one great Halloween – one she hoped she would never forget. She looked at Janice and noticed that she also felt the same way.

Then, _**it**_ happened.

"Hello, ladies."

The voice was deep and very cool, with a New England accent in it, making it dark and sensual.

Dawn and Janice spun around, wondering where the voice had come from, as well as who its owner was. Then the owner of said voice stepped out from behind the tree that had been in back of them, and Dawn sighed in relief.

It was Yami Bakura. He wore the outfit she had seen him wearing twice before – a blue-and-white-striped shirt with short sleeves, blue jeans, and his long black trenchcoat over the shirt, and white sneakers on his feet.

Dawn then remembered Buffy telling her about meeting Yami Bakura quite often whenever she went out patrolling for vampires. Well, "meeting" wasn't exactly the right word. Buffy preferred to call it "running into" him.

Yami Bakura had an air of being cryptic and enigmatic. Sometimes all too often, whenever a vampire ran into him, Buffy also showed up, only to find Yami Bakura showing off some pretty cool martial arts moves – almost like the same ones she sometimes used – on the vampire before tearing its head from its body. Then with a snap of the fingers, he made the vampire disappear, leaving no trace of it behind.

Buffy had to admit, that was kind of cool.

"Yami Bakura!" said Dawn, grinning. "Where have you been? We were looking for someone to chat with."

"Oh, I've been around," said Yami Bakura with a casual wave of his hand.

To Dawn, Yami Bakura was the pinnacle of cool, and that casual dismissal just made him even cooler.

"And," Yami Bakura added, "I've sensed that since it's Halloween, the vampires and demons are taking the night off. In my opinion, that's pretty awesome."

Dawn blinked. "Really?"

"Of course," Yami Bakura replied. He then reached up and caressed Dawn's cheek, causing her to blush and Janice to grin, intrigued.

"Oh, Yami Bakura," Dawn remembered, "this is Janice Penshaw, a friend of mine."

"Hello, Yami Bakura," said Janice. She blushed as he took her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it.

"Hello, Janice," replied Yami Bakura. "And I take it you're a great friend to Dawn, and that you're into the supernatural and the occult."

Janice nodded; she was. Apparently, she had long since heard Dawn's stories of her older sister Buffy's being the Slayer and hunting for vampires every night (except Halloween). Dawn even told her Buffy's stories of the adventures she had had when she herself was in high school.

Yami Bakura smiled, then turned to Dawn and offered his arm.

"Shall we, Dawn?" he asked. As Janice looked on, intrigued still, Dawn blushed and slipped her arm through his, grinning.

"Of course, Yami Bakura," she replied.

With that, the trio then headed off to the Bronze. Dawn and Janice had picked out the Bronze as the backup place they would go to if there wasn't any excitement or adventure going on anywhere else.

As soon as they got there, Yami Bakura then gently pulled Dawn by the hand over to a red couch with a table a few inches away, where they sat down. Janice had headed over to the bar, where she ordered a Coke.

When she got back to where Dawn and Yami Bakura were sitting, the scene that greeted Janice almost caused her to burst out laughing, but she managed to keep a good hold on her can of Coke anyway.


	4. At the Bronze, Part 2

**Well, here's the next chapter of my Buffy/Yu-Gi-Oh crossover story. And just so you know, I dedicate this story to a friend of mine who loves Buffy/Yu-Gi-Oh crossovers as much as I do – and that is **Harry2 **(also known as** Harry** on Twisting the Hellmouth). After all, to find out that someone likes the same things I do is quite something there. :)**

* * *

**Previously...**

_With that, the trio then headed off to the Bronze. Dawn and Janice had picked out the Bronze as the backup place they would go to if there wasn't any excitement or adventure going on anywhere else. _

_As soon as they got there, Yami Bakura then gently pulled Dawn by the hand over to a red couch with a table a few inches away, where they sat down. Janice had headed over to the bar, where she ordered a Coke. _

_When she got back to where Dawn and Yami Bakura were sitting, the scene that greeted Janice almost caused her to burst out laughing, but she managed to keep a good hold on her can of Coke anyway._

* * *

Yami Bakura was holding onto Dawn. His hands were holding her shoulders in a gentle grip. Dawn, for her part, was running her hands through his spiky white locks. Apparently Yami Bakura was loving that, since he was growling in pleasure. He first moved his lips across her forehead, and then down to her throat before finally stopping and getting off of Dawn before gently pulling her back up to a sitting position. After all, he didn't want to go too far.

"Uh, Yami Bakura," said Dawn upon suddenly spotting Janice, "I think Janice just spotted us. And I'm feeling quite thirsty for a Coke, now that I think about it."

Yami Bakura smiled after he finally pulled his mouth away from her throat. "I understand," he replied. He then reached into his trenchcoat pocket and, as if by magic, pulled out a can of Coke and handed it to a surprised Dawn.

"I kept it cold in my pocket with me," he explained as Dawn pulled open the tab, took a medium-sized sip of Coke, and then set it on the table. "I was saving it for you, of course."

"Thanks, Yami Bakura," replied Dawn, smiling. She and Yami Bakura then hugged. Then after they broke apart, Janice then joined them on the couch.

Soon, the trio got to chatting. Dawn usually smiled and nodded, listening whenever Yami Bakura spoke of journeys he had been on and places he had been to. Then Janice went next; she discussed an episode of her favorite TV show, "Charmed", which she had seen the previous night.

Then, finally, Dawn talked about school, and her rival, Kirstie.

"I mean, she's kind of a junior high counterpart to my sister Buffy's now ex-rival, Cordelia Chase, whom I've heard so much about," explained Dawn.

Yami Bakura nodded, listening. "I see," he replied. "It's no wonder she reminds you of Cordelia. I can tell. Plus," he added, turning to Dawn, "in my view, you're **not**a freak. You were just trying to cope with finding out who you really were."

Dawn nodded. She knew exactly what Yami Bakura meant. He had long since heard the story of how Dawn reacted to finding out what she really was.

Thirty minutes later, after Janice said goodbye and left for her house, Dawn then finished her Coca-Cola, and then put the can into the recycle bin for both pop and beer cans.

Yami Bakura then turned to Dawn and said, "Well, shall we head to your home?"

"Sure!" replied Dawn, brightening up.

She then took his offered arm, and they left the Bronze.

* * *

Finally, they made it to the Summers' residence, and not one moment too late.

"Yami Bakura?" said Buffy. She looked surprised, and then smiled upon seeing her little sister holding hands with him. "I somehow knew you would come."

Yami Bakura nodded. "Of course, Buffy. After all, it is Halloween."

Dawn then let go of his hand and whispered, "I'll be right back."

She then headed upstairs to the bathroom, while Buffy walked over to the couch and sat down.

"So, Yami Bakura," she said to break the silence while Yami Bakura sat next to her, "you probably heard about what happened to my mom, and how Dawn reacted."

Yami Bakura nodded. He **had **heard about what happened to Joyce Summers, Buffy and Dawn's mother, and what she had been like when she was alive. He had also heard from Xander and Willow about how Joyce was so sweet, motherly, and always there for them with a smile, a hug, or some advice; sometimes it was all three. She was different and very nice, too, unlike Willow's and Xander's own parents. Willow's parents were absent-minded, uninvolved and religious, and Xander's parents – particularly his father – were also not just neglectful, but bitter and abusive.

According to Buffy, her mother was often very strict, but a good mother nonetheless. Despite her initial reaction to Buffy's confession of being a Slayer, Joyce had since shown support and encouragement for her daughter.

"And your father?" asked Yami Bakura.

Buffy thought for a few moments, thinking over her answer, and then replied, "Well, my father is different. Although he is upper-class, I found out the hard way that Dad couldn't be counted on to keep his promises, and he never played the role of the father.

"You've heard about when he and Mom got divorced, right?" Yami Bakura nodded. "Well, the last I heard about him, he moved to Spain with his secretary. However, I was not able to contact him when Mom died.

"Luckily for me," Buffy added, "I soon found out that Giles, my Watcher, had seen me as a daughter in every way except blood. And you know what? I myself see him as a great father figure, too."

"I see," nodded Yami Bakura as he listened.

Buffy then got up. "Well, I better get to bed. I'm sure that Dawn wants to speak with you in private. Good night, Yami Bakura."

"Good night, Buffy," replied Yami Bakura.


	5. Memories

**Hey there! Here's the next chapter of **A Different Halloween Night**. I hope you're liking this story as much as I do writing it. And in my opinion, making up the story as one goes along is a good sign of creativity, too. **

**Some of the lines in this chapter come from the BtVS Season 5 episodes Blood Ties and Real Me, which are episodes thirteen and two, respectively. I changed them a bit so that in the scene where Dawn tells Yami Bakura about the events of the year before, he's the one who asks the questions, while Dawn, who already knows, tells him all about her discovery about her origins.**

* * *

**Previously...**

_According to Buffy, her mother was often very strict, but a good mother nonetheless. Despite her initial reaction to Buffy's confession of being a Slayer, Joyce had since shown support and encouragement for her daughter._

_"And your father?" asked Yami Bakura._

_Buffy thought for a few moments, thinking over her answer, and then replied, "Well, my father is different. Although he is upper-class, I found out the hard way that Dad couldn't be counted on to keep his promises, and he never played the role of the father._

_"You've heard about when he and Mom got divorced, right?"_

_Buffy went on. Yami Bakura nodded.  
__  
"Well, the last I heard about him, he moved to Spain with his __secretary. However, I was not able to contact him when Mom died._

_"Luckily for me," Buffy added, "I soon found out that Giles, my Watcher, had seen me as a daughter in every way except blood. And you know what? I myself see him as a great father figure, too."_

_"I see," nodded Yami Bakura as he listened._

_Buffy then got up. "Well, I better get to bed. I'm sure that Dawn wants to speak with you in private. Good night, Yami Bakura."_

_"Good night, Buffy," replied Yami Bakura._

* * *

_There used to be a graying tower alone on the sea  
You became the light on the dark side of me  
Love remained a drug that's the high and not the pill  
But did you know  
That when it snows  
My eyes become large and  
The light that you shine can be seen_

_Baby,  
I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the gray  
Ooh,  
The more I get of you,  
The stranger it feels, yeah  
And now that your rose is in bloom,  
A light hits the gloom on the gray_  
-Seal, **Kiss from a Rose**

As soon as Buffy left for her bedroom, Yami Bakura looked into the fire, the knuckle of his right hand supporting his chin.

Dawn Summers. She certainly was the mystery that so many women, especially the ones that had fallen prey to his killer good looks, wished they were and so many men wished they could explore and unravel like a tangled up ball of yarn.

Brown hair. Cobalt eyes that held many secrets and confessions.

A sinful and dark smirk snaked its way across his handsome face, and his chocolate eyes darkened and gleamed at the thought of her pouring out so many confessions to him. The image of her coming to her bedroom, opening the door and then stopping dead in her tracks while a shocked look crosses that beautiful face of hers upon seeing him lying there on her bed in a Cleopatra-like pose, as though he was the male equivalent of a temptress – a tempter, to be more precise.

Maybe he was. He wasn't sure... yet. Even after 5,000 years, he still wasn't sure whether or not he was a tempter of women.

"Yami Bakura?" said **her** voice.

A secret smile crossed his face, replacing the dark smirk that had been there moments before as he turned his head to look at the younger Summers sister.

She had changed out of her outfit and now wore a light blue nightgown with snowmen and snowflakes covering it. He instantly took a liking to how it flowed over her body like water, and especially how it swished against her legs periodically as she moved. Her chocolate locks fell around her shoulders, and looked so beautiful as well.

"Dawn," he purred in reply.

He noticed how she blushed a little upon hearing his voice, and mentally congratulated himself for causing her to feel that way in the first place.

As she walked over and sat down beside him, Yami Bakura reached over and gently took Dawn's hand in his. Dawn turned to him and, after seeing how their hands were intertwined, smiled.

"Please, tell me about yourself, Dawnie," said Yami Bakura. "You never seem to talk much about you."

Dawn could tell by the color rising in her cheeks that she was very pleased with Yami Bakura's gentlemanly manners. Also, the nickname he used for her, "Dawnie", reminded her of Spike, who was like a big brother to her.

Dawn and Buffy were not at all surprised to find out that Spike had also met Yami Bakura a few times before. According to Spike, they got along just fine, especially when Spike found out that Yami Bakura was British just like him. The only difference between Yami Bakura and Spike was that Yami Bakura's accent was more like a New England accent.

"Well, then, you might be in for quite the story, Yami Bakura," Dawn finally replied after a moment's thought, while Yami Bakura waited patiently. "It sure is quite something, too."

"I'm all ears, Dawnie."

Again a smile appeared on Dawn's face. "Hold on, please," she said. She then began fishing in her backpack, looking for something. "Ah, there it is," she said as her fingers made contact with her secret notebook, and pulled it out.

Opening it, Dawn then turned to a page... a very familiar page that had the writings from the book that she had read a year ago in the Magic Shop with Spike that fateful night (and then copied down in her notebook, so she wouldn't forget).

That was the night, Dawn knew, that she would never forget. At all.

"‛Tarnis, 12th century. One of the founders of the monks of the Order of Dagon. Their sole purpose appears to have been as protectors of the Key'."

"Wow," remarked Yami Bakura. "I'm impressed – so far."

"I copied all this from the book I read one night in the Magic Shop with Spike. There's more," said Dawn. She cleared her throat before picking up where she had left off. "‛The Key is not directly described in any known literature, but all research indicates an energy matrix vibrating at a dimensional frequency beyond normal human perception. Only those outside reality can see the Key's true nature'."

"‛Outside reality'?" asked Yami Bakura.

"People who have the gift of second sight for one," Dawn explained. "Then, there's run-of-the-mill people who look fine on the outside, but are actually mentally ill."

She then began to tell of the lunatic that had accosted her outside the Magic Box before Tara had showed up.

* * *

_"Whatcha doin'?" a voice asked her._

_Dawn turned with a gasp. A scruffy older man was standing there. He looked unshaven and his tie was loose._

_"What are you doing here? You can't loiter. There's no loitering," the man said. He advanced on Dawn as she backed up. She looked – and was – scared._

_"That's why I'm a cat. Quiet. See, cat's in the cupboard." He began making cat-scratching gestures with his hands. "But they find you there anyway, and it hurts."_

_Dawn had by now backed up against a van. She looked around, still scared._

_The man suddenly started sobbing. It was as though he saw sense in what he was about to do, and was mentally telling himself to stop what he was doing and act more gentlemanly. "Please, make it stop."_

_Then he turned back to Dawn, and his voice took on a different tone. "Shut up, shut up, they'll hear you!"_

_Dawn tried to call out Buffy's name. "Buff-"_

_She shrieked as the guy put his finger on her lips._

_"I know you. Curds and whey," he said. _

_Dawn looked shocked now. _

_"I know what you are." _

_Then, slowly and ominously, the man said the very words she would remember later and never forget._

_"You... don't... belong... here."_

_Dawn shook her head. She looked to be on the verge of tears._

* * *

Dawn shook her head as she came out of the flashback of that day, and she looked up at Yami Bakura as she felt him place a hand on her shoulder.

"Dawn, it's OK," he said. "I'm right here, and you know that I will listen to and believe whatever it is you have to say. Whatever secret you have to tell, or whatever it is that's bugging you – you can tell me. OK?"

Dawn nodded. "Yeah. You're right, Yami Bakura." She then turned back to the notebook page. "‛The monks possessed the ability to transform energy, bend reality'. Hmm. Quite something there, I must say."

"I agree," Yami Bakura nodded. "Go on, Dawn."

Dawn then continued reading. "They started work. But the Council has suggested to us that they were interrupted – presumably by Glorificus, or Glory for short."

Upon seeing Yami Bakura's puzzled expression, Dawn said, "She was a hell-goddess, and she wanted to get back home to her own hell dimension."

"Oh, I see," Yami Bakura nodded.

"They obviously did manage to accomplish the task. They had to be certain the Slayer – Buffy – would protect it with her life. So they sent the Key to her... in human form. In the form of a sister," Dawn finished while turning back to the notebook page before finally closing her notebook. Then she turned to Yami Bakura, who was quietly processing all the information Dawn had told him.

"And that sister," Dawn said, pausing for dramatic effect, "is me.

"My blood was used to open a portal," Dawn went on. "Since Buffy and I are related and we share what she referred to as ‛Summers blood', she told me to be brave and live for her sake before finally turning around, running to the edge of the tower and then jumping into the portal. And get this – since my blood opened the portal, hers closed it. It closed for good, and it has stayed that way since she's died and then been resurrected. Now, of course, to the best of my knowledge I am now the **former** Key. Even if I was, I no longer open anything."

It was then that Dawn noticed something about Yami Bakura. He was really a very good listener, as he hadn't interrupted her story unless it was to ask some questions that were related to it.

_Quite nice of him, too, _she thought, and then smiled to herself.

"What happened to Glory?" Yami Bakura asked after a moment.

Smiling still, Dawn replied, "Well, it turns out that she was sharing a body with this guy named Ben Wilkinson. Because he was human, Buffy spared his life. She told him to warn Glory not to come near her and her family again. Quickly afterward, Ben was suffocated to death by Giles, who considered Ben an innocent for the most part, but was determined to prevent Glory from ever returning." She looked down, on the verge of tears. "Giles was successful, for Glory never returned."

"Oh, Dawn," said Yami Bakura as he took Dawn into his arms and gave her a hug, "it's going to be OK. It can be tough, but don't worry. I'm right here, and I will help out you, Buffy and the rest of the Scoobies."

Dawn smiled tearfully. "Thanks, Yami Bakura. That means a lot to me, too."

"You're welcome, Dawn," Yami Bakura replied.


End file.
